Fashion journalism, study in the field of fashion journalism

Interview with fashion journalism graduates of Saint Martins University, London

What is fashion journalism?

Fashion journalism Or fashion journalism is one of the important branches of fashion that reflects the events and news of the fashion world through news writing or photography. Fashion journalists or fashion journalists are people who communicate the latest news and happenings in the fashion industry through magazines, newspapers and fashion media. Participating in fashion shows, analyzing collections, informing about trends, reflecting fashion industry news and many other things are the responsibility of fashion journalists. Previously, fashion journalists worked in print fashion magazines as writers or news photographers; But today, with the development of the digital space, the scope of work Fashion journalism It has become more widespread and their presence on web pages and social media is also evident. Today, the field of fashion journalism is so popular that many top universities in the world of fashion, such as the University of the Arts London, offer this field at undergraduate and graduate levels. In the following, we have interviewed two fashion journalism master’s students from St. Martin’s University in London and gathered more detailed information about the advantages and disadvantages of this academic field.

Fashion journalism, from New York to London

Kanika Talwar is WWD’s Business Correspondent. Previously, she has been a writer for Vogue India, V magazine, PAPER, Fashionista and several other fashion magazines. Kanika has a BA in Fashion Media from LIM University and was born and lived in New York. But to continue his education in the field of fashion journalism, he has gone to London. He entered Saint Martins University in 2022 and studied fashion journalism, which is one of the branches of Fashion communication.

Fashion journalism major at Saint Martins University, London

The first and most important issue in choosing a university course to continue studying is to know its course topics. The field of Fashion communication in St. Martins University of London has three trends: fashion journalism, fashion image and fashion histories and theories. Students of any major can communicate freely with students and professors of other majors and collaborate with them.
Kanika says about the headlines of the Master’s in Fashion Journalism courses at Saint Martins University: “The headlines change every year and this change depends on the important events and current changes in the fashion industry. The focus of this field was to find the interest of each student in the field of fashion journalism and help him to work in this field. The graduate program in London was nothing like my undergraduate experience in New York. Most of the things we have to do are done by ourselves and in our own time frame. In fact, a significant part of this course is based on everyone finding their own path in the industry.”

Nina Maria has received her bachelor’s degree in fashion promotion. He explains about his path as follows: “I knew from the beginning that I wanted to study fashion journalism for my master’s degree. When I applied, there were only two universities in London offering an MA in Fashion Journalism, and I chose St Martins. University tuition is high; But in the end, I am satisfied with my decision.”
Nina says that if someone is interested in taking more classes, it is better to study History and theory.
“Some classes are shared with other majors; But it is better for everyone to attend history and theory classes because they were really useful. In fashion journalism, we had a journalism class every week; But they never tell you to write this way or that way! The educational program largely depends on the student himself. We had many guest speakers who were active people in the heart of the fashion industry and these sessions were very informative. We had to hold a conference every week about one of the news of the day in the fashion industry. Some classes were a little more academic; For example, we had lessons about decentralization or decolonization of fashion. The first semester was from January to June and the next semester was from October to December (the whole period is one year). In general, the focus of this period is the student’s own work, and besides that, you attend classes and access university facilities such as the library. And… there is.”

Creativity and income in fashion journalism

Saint Martins University offers fashion journalism at both undergraduate and graduate levels. These two courses follow different curriculum and goals.
“Fashion journalism is creative in the bachelor’s degree and commercial in the master’s degree”
Nina explains the differences between these two levels of education as follows: “In the bachelor’s degree, the work method is more creative and free. In the master’s degree, they try to prepare the student to enter the labor market; For example, they try to bring the work closer to copywriting and commercial texts. I have done freelance copywriting work and if a good employer is found, it has a relatively good income; Of course, let me say that in my opinion, the reason for the employer’s cooperation with me is not because of my educational qualification. He probably doesn’t know that I have a master’s degree and didn’t pay attention to this detail in my CV. He cares about my work and what I write.
Entering the commercial job market makes us unable to write any type of text as a journalist; For example, we can no longer say freely what Gucci does! Because we may be hired there later! We must be careful that if we have strong opinions, we should not express them easily because companies are not interested in risky and stressful situations; But sometimes this is the opposite. As a fashion journalist, we may express our opinion about a controversial topic in the fashion industry and attract the attention of a company; Because these days, there are few journalists who have a significant position and opinion on important issues! Of course, in the end it depends on the individual approach of each person. In general, in the master’s degree, the effort is that you can work in the fashion industry; As a copywriter or product author. But in the bachelor’s degree, you can advance journalistic work more creatively.”

Necessary skills for fashion journalists

Earlier, in a conversation with Ayo Ojo, a fashion critic and analyst, we talked about the necessary and necessary skills for fashion analysis and criticism.

Kanika says there are some basic skills to become a successful fashion journalist: “Research, note-taking, listening skills and asking the right and accurate questions! Ask the interviewee short and precise questions that shape your overall narrative and avoid repetition.
But along with the professional skills of fashion journalism, learning soft skills is also necessary to work in this field. Kanika categorizes the soft skills for working as a professional fashion journalist as follows: “1- Adherence to professional ethics 2- Communication skills 3- Critical thinking 4- Teamwork and cooperative work spirit 5- Positive attitude and energy 6- Adherence to deadlines 7 “Willingness to learn”

Freelance journalist in fashion

Rand al-Hadithi, with whom we talked about fashion journalism in the Middle East; Freelancing in fashion is a bit difficult and multifaceted. Nina and Kanika have similar views about freelancing. They consider freelance journalism to be a difficult job that requires a special spirit and of course it is not suitable for everyone!
Kanika says: “Freelancing is hard at first; Because no one knows you yet and that’s why it’s hard to make it a permanent job. The best way to become a freelance journalist is to constantly send emails and discuss your ideas and stories with the editors. (pitch a story) even if your ideas are not accepted; This will make the editors get to know you. You can ask them why your email was rejected and get feedback on your work.”
Nina mentions the financial difficulties of freelancing. He says the payments are low and irregular and if you don’t have someone to support you in case of financial need; Practically, continuous freelance work will be very difficult.
“It takes a lot of effort and persistence, and a lot of publishers and magazines you want to work with don’t have a lot of budget. Email is the easiest way to build effective relationships. But for those who want to start, I suggest Instagram and Tik Tok activity. Social media is the best way to talk directly with people. You can start your own page and you don’t need a publisher! Of course, if you give up their partial salary!”

Career opportunities in fashion journalism

Perhaps we can say that all graduates in all fields think about one important issue: finding the right job!
Nina says fashion journalism at St. Martins University and her master’s degree focuses on entering the fashion industry. He evaluates suitable job opportunities for a fashion journalist as follows: “There are many things that can be done. If someone is interested in advertising, he can enter this field. Copywriting is one of the jobs that can go to him. A fashion journalist can contribute to television programs. Some go into public relations. Job opportunities are very different. From a class of 10 people, maybe only two people work as fashion journalists (literally).”

Fashion journalism in Iran

It seems that the number of people interested in fashion journalism in Iran is increasing day by day; But we know that there is no academic and precise training in this field. Active people in this field have shaped and directed their path by trial and error, gaining experience and personal research. About creating job opportunities in fashion journalism, Kanika suggests social media for countries where fashion journalism does not exist officially. He says: “Twitter is the best place to share ideas with editors. Communicate with them through social media and email. There is a perennial question: Why should an editor assign you to write about a particular topic? Raise your awareness of the topic and the branch you want to write about so that you are the only person who can write well about it.”
“If you have access to the internet, you can do almost anything that a person in London can do!”
This was Nina’s key sentence. When I asked him how interested people in countries where there is no formal and academic training in fashion journalism can acquire skills in this field and build their own path, he continued: “You can start writing on your Instagram account; Send it to different agencies or publishers and say I wrote this. These publishers and magazines need the news of other countries to be written by the people of that country, not by London-based reporters! Write about things that are interesting and attention-grabbing. Email and communicate. I want to say don’t get tired or disappointed! Just keep going.”